1. Technical Field
The invention relates to vacuum cleaning devices and in particular, to the nozzle portion thereof containing an air turbine for rotating an agitator to enhance the cleaning efficiency of the nozzle. Even more particularly, the invention relates to such a vacuum cleaning nozzle in which the air turbine bearing shaft is resiliently mounted to absorb vibration and reduce noise enabling the agitator to be driven by a friction belt.
2. Background Information
Various vacuum cleaning nozzles have been produced which include an air turbine powered by moving air created by a suction which collects the dirt thereby avoiding the use of a separately powered motor for driving an agitator such as a rotary brush mounted at the air inlet end of the nozzle. Heretofore, these air turbine shafts are connected to the rotary brush by a toothed timing belt, which although produces satisfactory results in many cleaning nozzles, increases the noise level of the cleaning nozzle during operation in contrast to a friction drive belt, which provides the desired amount of transfer torque between the air turbine and the agitator but with less noise.
However, it has been found that although the use of a friction drive belt may reduce the noise level of the vacuum cleaning nozzle, it results in unbalanced forces on the agitator brush as well as on the air turbine shaft. Therefore, there is a need for an improved vacuum cleaning nozzle which uses an air turbine that is operatively connected to an agitator by a friction drive belt.
Furthermore, prior vacuum cleaning nozzles having an air turbine contained therein heretofore required a considerable number of parts which must be assembled to encase and protect the air turbine as well as form the air passages from a front air inlet opening adjacent the agitator to the air turbine and from the air turbine to a wand connector at the rear of the nozzle housing. These multiple components increases the material cost of the nozzle as well as the assembly cost thereof, as well as resulting in possible additional maintenance problems.
Another problem known to exist in certain vacuum cleaning nozzles is that the wand attachment between the wand and wand connector at the rear of the nozzle housing requires excessive manipulation either by hand or by depressing an external lever or tab by an operator's foot. These prior art foot-operated latches usually extend outwardly from the sides of the wand connector requiring either a right or left-footed operation which increase the difficulty of detaching the wand from the wand connector.
Still another shortcoming of many prior art vacuum cleaning nozzles is to provide an inexpensive, efficient and convenient manner of attaching the rotary agitator brush to the nozzle housing adjacent the front air inlet opening of the nozzle. Heretofore, the agitator brush is connected with various types of clamps or fasteners, again requiring additional components and manipulative steps for attaching and detaching the agitator brush from the nozzle.
Still another shortcoming of some known nozzle constructions is the forming of the various nozzle components of lightweight rugged plastic, which although provides for a strong and durable nozzle housing, does not provide sufficient weight thereto to enable the nozzle to maintain a firm cleaning contact when moving over the flooring, thereby lessening the cleaning efficiency of the nozzle. In order to increase the weight of the nozzle to a desired weight to provide the desired pressure against the floor being cleaned requires increasing the thickness of the housing or by increasing the weight of the various components incorporated therein, increasing the overall cost of the cleaning nozzle.
Therefore, it is desirable in the nozzle cleaning art to use a friction drive belt for connecting an air driven turbine to the agitator, yet which will reduce the vibration and noise than that possible with heretofore used timing drive belts. Furthermore, the cleaning nozzle should have a certain weight without increasing the cost and have a wand release attachment device easy to operate, and provide a convenient and inexpensive manner to removably mount the agitator adjacent the air inlet end of the nozzle.
These features are obtained by the improved vacuum cleaning nozzle of the present invention as described further below.